Thursday, 26 September 2013

Auditing & Consulting

When it comes to a million dollar repair bill, does a superintendent seek advice or go it alone? Auditing and consulting are key components of the turf industry and the way they are utilized are as diverse as the industry they serve. We're not just talking about turf grass here folks.

Take a golf course for example: the components that typically make a golf course successful are numerous and varied i.e. trees, plants, irrigation, ponds, pest/animal control. Additionally things like building structures, equipment and budgeting also require maintenance which at times leads to external guidance.

What I will be trying to figure out is how superintendents go about doing this. In many cases, potential course issues can be resolved internally. Choosing when to seek consultation is crucial and as you will see in this video, sometimes not making a decision is the worst decision you can make. Making the right choices can save millions! When a super seeks or requires external services depends on numerous factors like the course budget, required licensing (pesticide control), city approvals (cutting down trees), soil reports, water management and much more.

There's a lot to look after and doing it efficiently may not always be the easiest or least expensive method but, if the results keeps the costumers coming back, then the choice is obvious (if the budget allows it, of course). Sometimes I'm sure a super can struggle with the budget they were handed. So much so that at times a super has called upon accounting services to find ways to cut costs in some areas so that money can be spent in others. Accounting and golf, who would’ve thunk it.

The more research I do, the more I realize how much TLC a course needs. Superintendents and their crews really are unsung heroes. Certainly, there are less competent course keepers out there, and in some cases the lack of maintenance has nothing to do with the course itself, as you will see in this article.

When someone tells you they're being audited, they're usually cringing as they say it. However in some cases, when it comes to a golf course or a sports fields it is welcome, requested even. Who makes the request, I wonder? Is it the superintendent reaching out for help, the course owner, the municipality? Maybe it’s a high school principal or a University president asking for a diagnosis of their field. All of the above, I reckon. There must be many sports fields out there that don't have internal greens keepers, so external assistance is really the only option.

The factors that dictate the service of sports fields employ a very diverse and wide spectrum of service providers. Take a look at the services provided by the "NZ Sports Institute." Initially, I decided to open with this subject as I thought it would be less obvious and possibly not as interesting as other career options I'll be covering, the idea being that we'd start with an appetizer before the main course; but the more I read the more I realize this is a main course and with all the fixings! Perhaps I'll make a few entries on the subject and all it's branches. It's a huge world that orbits this industry and I have only glimpsed the outskirts.



No comments:

Post a Comment